embarrassed to leave the house.. :(

I am amazed at how strong our minds can be and how hard we can be on ourselves especially while supporting others.

IMO, you are incredibly HAWT....Hope all gets better for you...

I know what it is like to feel so different that I hated going out in public. When I started my journey, I was at rock bottom! As I started attending exercise classes, I would place my self at the back of the class and I would bring 2 - 3 large towels for my sweat and to wipe the floor! As hard as the exercise was, it was the showing up class after class that was the hardest for me. At one point a new student in the class dubbed my "Kung Fu Panda". I am not one too put to much credence to the word of people I do not know but this hurt way more than I let anyone know.
The good thing is that my perseverance is paying off! I have gone from the fat sweaty guy at the back of the class to one of the senior students who leads the class from time to time. I have gone from needing 2 -3 days to recover from a class to adding weights and running to my workout week. I have gone from being out of breath after walking up 2 flights of stairs to my office to training for a half marathon.
My journey to date has taken almost 5 years. And, like with most undertakings, I have good and bad days along the way. The one constant however is that I NEVER gave up!
I do not know you or your situation. But, I can say that if you keep going the results will be worth the effort. If you are like me the first step is just to get moving. Deal with one issue at a time. Start small and then as you master/overcome one thing move on to something else. The more you keep moving the more you will want/need to be active. And, the better you will feel physically & emotionally.
I wish you all the best on your journey!

Morning - Try to remember that most people are so caught up with themselves, their life, and their families and jobs that they really would not even notice a 15lb gain. I'm sure most people have not even noticed and those that have probably know about your knee surgery and are understanding. Honestly, like others have said it sounds like you are dealing with either a phobia or social anxiety. I would talk to your doctor or a therapist about it. Hope things get better for you.

I don't feel that 155lbs is big. You look great from your photo. I'm about 100lbs heavier than that and I really couldn't give a fk about what people may or may not think about me.

I appreciate this is about how you feel about yourself but you need to get your confidence sorted out. Who are these people and why do you care what they think of you? If they are important, fair enough but would somebody as superficial as to judge you on a 15lb gain be important? I sincerely doubt that. People either love you for who you or not at all. They may support you but that is a whole different thing.

Don't get any free time to exercise? Sorry to be harsh but that's an excuse. You may not have time for the gym and zumba but what else can you do to exercise? Do you have time for a walk at lunchtime? Can you use a console dance game in the evening? How can you get yourself moving? It may not seem like a lot compared with what you used to do but at least it will be something.

Diets just make people unhappy and I'm not convinced they work long-term. What does work is commitment to a healthy lifestyle, making those small changes and making sure we keep moving.

We will all encounter challenges on our journey and sometimes gain weight too, but don't be too hard on yourself, work to change it. Shutting yourself away will just make you miserable....

Be proud of how you look. You're a work in progress and the only approval that you need is your own. Let this be your mantra.

When it comes to fitness, you're doing this for yourself.

I've had anxiety about being photographed and how I looked in my photographs. I have self image issues. BUT I can tell you that when I see an out of shape flabby guy in a picture, my kids and wife see a father, friend and a guy just having fun.